1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-free apparatus or an earpiece apparatus with a microphone. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand-free apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body including a transmitter and a receiver, an input/output cable connected with the transmitter and the receiver and extending outside from the apparatus body;
a cable case incorporating a cable spool capable of taking up the cable; and
a retaining means capable of detachably retaining the apparatus body on the cable case.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical hand-free apparatus of the above-noted type is known from the Japanese registered utility model No. 3049844. With this conventional hand-free apparatus, by connecting the input/output cable of the apparatus to e.g. a portable telephone and then by unwinding an appropriate length of the cable from the cable spool incorporated within the cable case, the receiver, i.e. the earpiece, may be attached to the ear hole of a user, so that the user may effect telephone communication under a hand-free condition. Further, when the portable telephone is not in use, the unnecessary cable length may be all wound about and stored on the cable spool disposed inside the cable case, so that such problem of bulkiness or entanglement of cable may be avoided.
With the above-described conventional hand-free apparatus, its cable case is provided in the form of a thin disc-like component, which defines, in the front face thereof, a retainer hole for engaging and retaining the receiver of the apparatus body.
Accordingly, in the case of the conventional hand-free apparatus of the above-described construction, from the center of the flat face of the disc-like cable case, the receiver projects along the axis of the disc. In other words, when the apparatus body is retained to the cable case, the hand-free apparatus as a whole is bulky in the thickness direction of the cable case, so that the portability of the apparatus is not sufficient and the apparatus cannot be conveniently held within a pocket of the user""s clothes in particular. Further, when the apparatus body is retained to the cable case, the receiver projects from the center of the flat face of the disc-shaped cable case along the axis of the disc and the transmitter extends radially outward from this receiver. Hence, when the apparatus is held within a pocket of the user""s clothes, an external force may be applied inadvertently to the receiver of the apparatus, tending to disengage the apparatus body from the cable case by a leverage action.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a hand-free apparatus which provides improved portability under the condition that its apparatus body is retained to the cable case and whose apparatus body can effectively resist inadvertent disengagement from the cable case when subjected to an external force when the apparatus is held within a pocket of a user""s clothes with the apparatus body being retained to the cable case.
For fulfilling the above-noted object, a hand-free apparatus according to the present invention, comprises:
an apparatus body including a transmitter and a receiver, an input/output cable connected with the transmitter and the receiver and extending outside from the apparatus body;
a cable case incorporating a cable spool capable of taking up the cable; and
a retaining means capable of detachably retaining the apparatus body on the cable case;
wherein the apparatus body when retained by the retaining means extends along a peripheral face of the cable spool.
With the apparatus having the above-described construction, when the apparatus body is attached to the cable case by the retaining means, this apparatus body extends along the peripheral face of the cable spool. Therefore, when the cable case is formed like a plate member, the receiver does not project from the flat front face of this cable case. As a result, the hand-free apparatus, when the apparatus body is retained to the cable case, does not become bulky in the direction of thickness of the cable case, so that sufficient portability may be obtained and the portability of the apparatus within a user""s clothes pocket may be significantly improved. Further, when the hand-free apparatus is held within the clothes pocket with the apparatus body being retained to the cable case, this apparatus body will hardly be disengaged from the cable case when subjected to an external force.
Also, when the apparatus body is attached to the cable case by the retaining means, this apparatus body extends along the peripheral face of the cable spool. Therefore, the apparatus body may be formed sufficiently elongate within a limit not significantly exceeding the outer dimensions of the cable case so as to improve the handiness thereof, while maintaining the compactness of the entire hand-free apparatus when the apparatus body is retained to the cable case.
Preferably, the cable case includes urging means for urging the cable spool in a rotational direction for taking up the cable and take-up control means switchable between a locked condition for restricting rotation of the cable spool by the urging means and a free condition for allowing the rotation of the cable spool by the urging means.
With the above construction, by pulling the cable to rotate the cable spool against the urging force of the urging means, a necessary length of the cable may be withdrawn from the cable case. And, under this condition, by switching over the take-up control means to the locked condition, the cable will not be taken up on the cable spool unintentionally and the necessary length of the cable may be maintained under the withdrawn condition. Subsequently, by switching over the take-up control means to the free condition, the cable spool will automatically take up the withdrawn length of the cable under the urging force of the urging means. Hence, the user need not take up the cable manually.
In addition to the above, the apparatus body preferably includes an arm member having a longitudinal direction and the receiver extends from the arm member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction; and the retaining means includes a shoulder portion for supporting the receiver thereon.
With the above construction, it is possible to retain the receiver which is bent from the arm member by hooking the receiver on the shoulder portion of the retaining means, so that the hand-free apparatus body may be always maintained at a fixed position relative to the retaining means.
Still preferably, the cable extends from a predetermined position of the arm member and the cable case defines a through hole for allowing withdrawal of the cable from the cable spool; and a position of the through hole and the predetermined position of the arm member are arranged so as to allow the receiver to be pressed against the shoulder portion under the urging force for taking up the cable on the cable spool when the hand-free apparatus body is retained by the retaining means.
With the above construction, by switching over the take-up control means to the free condition, the receiver will be pressed against the shoulder portion under the urging force which force will remain effective after completion of the take-up of the entire exposed length of cable. Therefore, the apparatus body may be retained by the retaining means under a stable condition.
Still preferably, the retaining means includes a contacted portion formed on a lateral face of the cable case for coming into contact with the transmitter of the apparatus body retained by the retaining means; and a position of the through hole and the predetermined position of the arm member are arranged so as to allow the transmitter to be pressed against the contacted portion under the urging force for taking up the cable on the cable spool when the hand-free apparatus body is retained by the retaining means.
With the above construction, by switching over the take-up control means to the free condition, the receiver will be pressed against the shoulder portion under the urging force which force will remain effective after completion of the take-up of the entire exposed length of cable. Moreover, the transmitter too will be pressed against the contacted portion under the urging force. So that, the apparatus body is pressed, adjacent the longitudinal opposed ends thereof, against the lateral face of the cable case. Therefore, the apparatus body may be retained by the retaining means under a more stable condition.
Preferably, the retaining means includes a pair of guide plates extending from the cable case to be opposed to a portion of the apparatus body retained by the retaining means in a direction parallel to a rotational axis of the cable spool.
With the above construction, the apparatus body retained to the retaining means will be fitted between the pair of guide plates extending from the cable case. Thus, displacement of the apparatus body relative to the cable case in the thickness direction of this case may be mechanically restricted. As a result, this construction further improves the stability in the posture of the apparatus body as retained to the cable case.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an operating member for switching over the take-up control means, the operating member being disposed on an outer lateral face of the cable case opposite from the retaining means.
With the above-described construction, the retaining means and the operating member for operating the spool may be distributed to the right and left positions on the cable case. Therefore, when the user tries to retain the apparatus body by the retaining means while the withdrawn cable is being taken up on the cable spool, the user can operate the operating member with one hand and also can guide the apparatus body to the retaining means with the other hand. Moreover, in the course of this, there will hardly occur interference between the one hand operating the operating member and the other hand guiding the apparatus body.
Preferably, the retaining means includes magnetic attraction means disposed between the arm member and the cable case.
With the above construction, the means is provided for allowing reliable retention of the apparatus body on the cable case and also this apparatus body may be easily released from this retaining means, i.e. the magnetic attraction means, with a simple operation of detaching the body from the case against the magnetic attraction. Moreover, since the magnetic attraction means retains the apparatus body by means of magnetic attraction, mechanical wear or deformation will hardly occur in the apparatus body or in this retaining means. Therefore, this retaining means may provide the effective retaining performance reliably for a long period of time.
Alternatively, the apparatus body includes a longitudinally extending arm member which defines, in one of its opposed lateral faces, engaging recesses extending in the longitudinal direction; and the retaining means includes a pair of engaging elements extending from the cable case to be elastically engaged within the engaging recesses.
With the above construction, the retaining means can mechanically retain the apparatus body in even more reliable manner. Further, this construction can eliminate the magnetic attraction means described above.